Girded my loins and went over to Westphalia this afternoon to talk to Randy about our calves and bull. I chatted to God on my way over, stayed positive and calm, and eventually got him to agree to stick to our original agreement. He won't let me take calves that haven't been dehorned or banded (the boys) so will be dehorning them on Monday, and I can pick-up 2 on Friday, one girl and one boy. The other girl and boy probably the week after. Unfortunately, the one boy he was growing for me was dead in his pen this afternoon. Randy swore a blue streak as he was seemingly alive and well at noon today, and I couldn't help but think that if he'd let me take them last week, that boy could maybe still be alive. Says he doesn't have a 2nd girl for us, but I said I'd take one that was younger.
Picking up Brownie, our bull on Tuesday. If I haven't sold him by then, will take him to the Lake Odessa auction. Need him for our property taxes which are due Sept 14. Randy wanted to have his usual guy come and pick him up to take to auction, but I said I'd rather pick him up myself, save some money that way. Randy didn't think he'll fit in our trailer, but Midnight, our Scottish Highland bull did, was larger and with a 4 foot set of horns to boot !
Either way, once all our calves are collected, we will no longer have a relationship with him. Sad in a way, and I'm not even going to re-ask to have our ex-Border Collie boy Fletch mate with Anni in her next heat, expected in December. It's weird, but Fletch was cowering, Brownie was a very unhappy bull, the calves were skittish and one died, couldn't possibly be that he's taking out his frustrations on my animals, could it ?
Cut my thumb rather badly last night while slicing onions for the tomato and onions with balsamic vinegar that I canned last night. Had to put 5 of those knuckle plasters on it to stop the bleeding. Feels much better today, it's not throbbing anymore. Well, didn't get to can the corn yesterday as a result, so will try do it tonight. And once again, the kitchen looks like a tornado has hit it !
Half milked Dolly today, about 2 gallons, and will do that for a few days until she's dry. Then just the wait for Bambis' new calf. Let all the herd-share owners know, maybe will have half quantities for them this week if they want :)
Used "ad hoc" today in an e-mail to a potential new herd-share owner, and had to explain it. I sometimes forget that I'm foreign !!
Had a wonderful chat with my dad tonight. 2nd best as I can't have him here right now although could really use his help. Not sure when he'll come up to visit, probably only next year.
Drew up a worksheet for my canning - 64 jars so far this year ! It's hard work, but sort of fun too. Need to find a home for them, currently stacking them on the kitchen island, diningroom table, diningroom window seat ... There are tomatoes in a basket on the diningroom floor, and cucumbers, and beetroot, potatoes, red peppers, with more beetroot in the garage, the sweetcorn there as well, hot peppers on the island. No wonder the kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it ! Diningroom table also holding a pressure canner, the Victorio food mill, boxes of jars, these spilling over on various chairs, plus the steam pots, oy vey ! The kitchen floor - 5 milk buckets, 1 pressure canner, 2 large stock pots, another pot with syrup for fruit canning / hummingbird feed / lemonade sweetner.